What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 291

Discovery of Fate (5)

In the end, it turned out like this.

Sometimes, unbelievable things happen in the world.

Even when it’s happening to me.

“Good heavens! What in the world is going on?”

“Tell me about it. That handsome young man is protecting his priest, can you believe it…”

“If he can’t stand anyone talking to him, why did he even bring him here?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. He’ll hear you!”

“There was an attempted kidnapping? I don’t know if it’s true.”

Hundreds of holy knights gathered like clouds near our suite.

A few ordinary guests, blacksmiths, and busy kitchen cooks came out to watch the commotion.

Members of the Langbaye Caravan were also frequently seen.

I sent Sant down to the trading post where the viscount and his wife were.

Someone needed to inform them of the situation in advance.

And I just kept repeating that I was sorry.

In the meantime, even my apologies seemed to displease the Crown Prince.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Yes. But with three warnings accumulated… you must leave the caravansary immediately.”

“Oooooh!”

Manager Gonzalo declared. The crowd marveled at the astonishing speed.

The middle-aged man looked ten years older than before, now almost eighty.

However, his voice didn’t betray any disappointment or anger.

The man just looked utterly exhausted. Half of the staff looked like they were about to cry.

No wonder, as the commotion didn’t end with the terribly destroyed second floor of the inn.

The lobby was flooded, and the arena, which I hadn’t even seen, was said to be half-destroyed as well.

That was where the fight started, so it was a natural consequence.

At this point, we should be grateful that no one died…

“No, they keep attacking a kid who’s only sixteen as if he’s an adult. He’s crying his eyes out! Look at the bruises he got from being hit!”

Our protagonist did it. Well, it wouldn’t be strange if someone else did this.

“Cristel. Calm down.”

“Am I in the wrong, Your Highness?”

Cristel whispered, her watery blue eyes sparkling.

She was also soaked, showing how angry she had been on the scene.

This meant she couldn’t control her power.

I put a towel over the protagonist’s head and replied.

“No. Even I…”

Then I swallowed the rest of my words. I wouldn’t have done the same, but I would have been angry anyway.

So I decided to understand her. What else could I do if I didn’t understand?

“I’ve been watching all along, and this Pink Princess was the cider [a term for someone who provides a refreshing or satisfying resolution to a situation]. See that red-faced boy over there? Today was his first time in the arena. He came with his elderly father, and the kid looked promising. He fought better than expected, so that guy went crazy and pushed him relentlessly. Like he was trying to cut off his seed! He could have won by going easy, but he tried to crush him to the end. Is age just for show? So the Princess couldn’t stand it and stood up. She stormed into the arena, knocked that guy out cold, and rescued the kid.”

‘Then his comrades rushed in, and it turned into this mess,’ Joan explained, making a face.

I handed a towel to her, who was also completely soaked.

Then, after glancing at the holy knights being carried away on stretchers, I turned to Isabel and Sir Johann.

Cristel’s mother, who had been expressing her regrets to Gonzalo, gave a bitter smile.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be hurt.

“I am so sorry for causing such concern, Your Highness. My daughter couldn’t control her anger…”

-I don’t know who has the fire attribute. Good show.

Hanan added from inside her pocket.

Her short arms propped up her chin, looking quite comfortable.

I swallowed the sigh that was rising to the tip of my tongue.

I could excuse the adult who didn’t even think of stopping her because she was enjoying her first outing in a thousand years…

“Sir Johann.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Recently, Crown Prince and Lady Cristel have been very interested in stigmata research [the study of marks resembling the wounds of Christ]. As a teacher, it was difficult to draw a proper line.”

His drooping eyes curved smoothly. It seems stigmata research these days is done on living people.

“…Please stop her next time. It would be best if there is no next time.”

“I’ll try.”

The cardinal replied gently.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but Sir Johann seemed to be getting more and more slippery.

I once again expressed my apologies to Gonzalo and his staff, and promised to pay for all repairs and a large sum of compensation.

Only then did the manager slightly raise the corners of his lips.

“Oh my goodness! What in the world is going on!”

Just then, Countess Mariz’s cry was heard from the other side.

The two who had returned from their outside business seemed to have finally grasped the situation.

“Grandma!”

“Goodness, who bullied our Pink Tama [a term of endearment, possibly referring to Cristel]!”

Viscount Clément Langbaye was greatly angered at the sight of his granddaughter. I quietly closed my eyes.

The next day. The Langbaye Caravan and we were once again crossing the desert.

-Clatter, clatter…

Ah, how did it suddenly become the next day? It’s simple.

If you get kicked out of a perfectly checked-in inn in half a day, this is what happens.

At the Moreno Caravansary, we set a new record for the fastest three warnings and expulsion.

The only consolation was that Gonzalo looked favorably upon us and spared us from permanent expulsion.

The viscount and his wife compensated for the damage in full with cash.

Lady Cristel said she wanted to take direct responsibility for her fault, so I decided to compensate her for the Crown Prince’s damages later.

Until the matter was settled, the two of them never pressed us at all.

Rather, they said that the person who tried to kidnap me was the worst, and the scoundrel who bullied the child and angered Cristel was the culprit.

No matter how I think about it, they seem to be spoiling us too much…

‘We are not holy knights. How can we fathom Your Highness’s heart, who almost lost his partner in broad daylight?’

‘If I had thought something would happen to the Prince, I would have reached for a weapon myself. How surprised the noble ones must have been.’

When they said that, I had nothing to say.

I was also horrified that the kidnapping of a priest was such a close reality.

It was really bad to try to lure people like that.

I don’t even know his name, but I’ll definitely punish him if I ever meet him again.

-Clatter, clatter…

Thus, all the transactions that the Langbaye Caravan was conducting in Moreno were suspended.

Fortunately, I heard that half of them were entrusted to other merchants.

But now, the only answer was really the next inn.

The horses, camels, and staff had barely rested, and there were things that a merchant group couldn’t entrust to outsiders.

Thump, thump! I spread the map on the regularly shaking floor of the wagon.

My friends put their heads together in a circle.

-Giddy up!

-Squeak!

Perry, carrying Hanan on his back, approached the map.

He was so cute that I almost stroked an adult.

As I hurriedly withdrew my hand, Cristel pointed to one place.

“Gigolt Caravansary. It’s where we’ll arrive soon. According to Grandpa and Grandma, it’s the closest inn to the Temple of Boundary. It’s the best in terms of size and population in the neutral zone. There are two large oases, and the town is so big that it’s divided into three districts. So, the Vatican forces work quite hard here.”

“That means it’s a place where the proctor’s influence reaches.”

I summarized. Sir Johann nodded.

“All the other inns in the desert started in minority villages, but Gigolt is different. A nobleman named Ralph Gigolt meticulously planned and created it from scratch.”

“You’re talking about the one who was cursed by the Holy Grail.”

The Crown Prince, who was sitting alone at the head of the table, said. I tilted my head and looked back at him.

Then he slightly frowned. He looked like he was wondering if the Prince really didn’t know that.

Sorry, hyung [older brother or male friend] came from another world, so he doesn’t know.

Originally, foreigners know a lot of unexpected things, but they also don’t know famous things.

Even if you study hard, those parts always come up.

“Lady Cristel and the Baron also don’t know. Well, it’s not a story that’s been made public to the masses.”

“Yes.”

“It’s not like it’s necessary for life anyway, right?”

Joan chirped. Sir Johann smiled softly and continued.

“That’s true. Count Gigolt built this place about 600 years ago. It was almost 400 years after Unio fell. He was a nobleman from a minority group in the Holy Nation, and he always longed for the desert. There’s a legend that his ancestors also longed for Unio during their lives.”

-To long for a land you haven’t experienced. It’s a ridiculous and sad thing.

Hanan muttered quietly, looking at somewhere on the map. Herrit’s father added.

“So, with the permission of the then King and Pope, he decided to build a planned city in the wilderness.”

“…Is that the end?”

“No. He wasn’t satisfied with that.”

His white hair flowed down. Before I knew it, a colorful sunset was setting in the window.

‘Grumble.’ A camel’s cry echoed nearby.

Demi pressed down on Sir Johann’s leg, urging him.

It meant she wanted to hear the next part quickly. He gently stroked the lesser panda.

“Gigolt came to desire the power of the Pope.”

“Yes…?”

“He believed that if he could possess the most sacred and sublime ether in the continent, he could restore the glory of the ancient desert.”

What, what… We blinked blankly.

Sant, who was putting Tete to sleep in his arms, carefully added.

“According to the literature, Gigolt gradually lost his reason from the time he came to the desert and built the caravansary. He couldn’t sleep day or night and sang ancient hymns or danced incomprehensible dances. The astrologers here thought he was possessed by the ghost of a ruined nation.”

“…”

The eerie feeling was somehow familiar. We looked at Hanan at the same time.

The cloth doll, feeling our gaze, immediately protested.

-This one doesn’t know anything! Are you trying to blame this body for the faults of a madman?

“No, no.”

I hurriedly appeased her.

I thought that another spirit might have done something while Hanan was asleep, but I didn’t say it out loud.

The priest’s story continued gently.

“Then one day, Gigolt went to the Temple of Boundary. He passed through the World Tree and the Guardian Spirits of the Maze and reached the place where the ‘Holy Grail of Wishes’ was. I don’t know how that was possible. There were many guards, and the Pope was firm in those days.”

“So what happened?”

“There’s a record that he drank the Holy Water.”

Sir Johann said softly. I widened my eyes.

He consumed the divine substance that had been contained in the Holy Grail since ancient times?

‘Eve, don’t drink it. This is not water.’

‘Then?’

‘It’s the purest form of ether. The supreme authority of the supreme God.’

The contents I read in quickly flashed through my mind.

Based on what I’ve heard so far, Gigolt was an ordinary person without the ability to use ether.

There was no way his body could accept such a tremendous essence.

It was a power that only the Pope could handle in the first place. Why would he do such a thing―

“According to the Vatican’s records, the Count died with his whole body burning. Not even ashes remained in the place where he stood.”

“…”

“That’s the last record of a human approaching the Holy Grail.”

“Huh…”

We swallowed hard.

‘Squeak, squeak.’ Joan clicked her tongue and coaxed Leah, who was clinging to her, scared.

Perry quickly curled up on the Crown Prince’s lap.

I looked at Dduk-sim, who was lying round on the bed.

I was already thirsty with tension, even though I hadn’t arrived at the temple yet.

Suddenly, the story of Grand Duke Alexandre, who couldn’t withstand the gaze of the Supreme God, came to mind.

The terrible end of the Count, who coveted the Holy Water and perished, lingered in my ears.

Honestly, I was a little scared.

Will I be okay? No, I want to take care of not only myself but also Prince Yeseo’s body.

Can we both be safe? If we’re just watching, nothing will happen, right?

-Heeheeing!

“Viscount! We’ve arrived!”

I flinched. I woke up from my thoughts at the sound from outside.

The wagon was slowly slowing down. We hurriedly stuck our bodies to the window.

Soon, everyone’s mouths dropped open. Except for the Crown Prince and Sir Johann.

“Wow!”

This was my first time at such a market.

“Gut! Look at that! It’s a bear doll that looks exactly like Gut!”

“Oh, Baron!”

“Ahahaha!”

It was on a different level from the night market I had seen in Ryuka Village or the street stalls that were set up here and there during the Riester Harvest Festival.

The marketplace, covered in white tents, was swirling around the huge village like a hula hoop.

Small magic lights and torches floated throughout the desert where the sun had set.

We unpacked our luggage at the caravansary, ate a simple dinner, and came out to see the market to buy a birthday present for Lady Elizabeth.

Seeing the faces of thousands of people full of excitement and passion made me feel like my fatigue was gone.

I was excited and kept taking out my coin purse.

I bought souvenirs for Ganael and Benjamin a little while ago.

“Cheap, cheap! Comfortable and cool linen clothes for one copper coin for three!”

“How much are these oranges? The scent is very good!”

“How far have you come to see us?”

“Spices! We have all kinds of spices!”

Seeing the wooden sign written in bright red letters, ‘The boss is crazy!’ made me laugh.

I don’t usually like outdoor activities, but everything was enjoyable because there were so many new things to experience.